Pooch Parenting

In this episode of the Pooch Parenting Podcast, I talk about the importance of working with a specialist who will save time and money as you try to solve your dog related challenges. I'm currently raising a pair of orphaned dobermans and have been so grateful for the support I am getting from Puppy Culture. Similarly, when I needed to learn about aggressive behavior, I felt fortunate to be ab...

In this episode of the Pooch Parenting Podcast, I talk with parenting coach, Mel Peirce. We talk about how to "parent from neutral." Our conversation covers topics that will set up parents and their dogs for success. We discuss parenting expectations, self-talk, and being proactive - all of which will help parents with their kids AND their dogs! Topics we discuss include... Patterns in p...

After trying barn hunt, a dog sport, for the first time with Pippin today, I got to thinking about comparisons between sports for dogs and sports for kids. Sometimes adults try to promote their own agenda when it comes to choosing family activities. But if I learned anything today, it was clear that the passion of the participant is one of the biggest factors we should consider when choosing a spo...

This podcast episode was inspired by a Facebook post written by a mother who was in distress because her dog had bitten two of her children, resulting in visits to the emergency room. I discuss what happens when dogs bite kids, including: who to ask for advice parenting challenges when living with kids and dogs factors about dogs to consider factors about kids to consider Dog Advice Who should you...

It’s National Dog Bite Prevention Week - and I believe that when we know better, we do better. That’s why I’m so excited to be sharing the Sanity Savers for Parents with Dogs Online Summit   with you! In just 40(ish) minutes, you'll get actionable ideas you can use to make living with kids and dogs safer, easier and less stressful You’ll hear tips from Parenting and Dog Experts on... Helping...

The other day, a member of the Pooch Parenting Society sent me a Facebook post from a dog rescue organization about neurodivergent families and asked for my opinion. She has two special needs kids and had some pretty big feelings about it...and wanted to see if I felt the same. I do. The Facebook post that was shared with me was written by the founder of a dog rescue organization and explained the...

In today's episode of The Pooch Parenting Podcast, I review the Netflix movie, Rescued By Ruby. It's a true story about a man who dreams of joining the K9 Search and Rescue team with the state police. "Typical" search and rescue dogs are too expensive, so he tries a more creative strategy to join the team. He adopts a difficult dog named Ruby from a local shelter and uses posit...

In today's episode of The Pooch Parenting Podcast, I talk about the risks of getting free advice when it comes to your family dog. Despite the best intentions, free advice can be misleading or even dangerous. In Facebook advice groups, for example, the blind is often leading the blind. Even though people can get some good advice from generous professionals who volunteer in these groups, those...

In today's episode of The Pooch Parenting Podcast, I answer a question that I hear quite often: should kids be allowed to walk the dog alone? And if so, how old should kids be before they can walk the dog by themselves? We consider: Safety concerns for the child and dog Outcomes of the walk Developmental stage of child and dog Michelle of Pooch Parenting is now retired. Thank you for the supp...

In today's episode of the Pooch Parenting Podcast, I talk with Marie Silverberg about Windsprites and why they make good family dogs. I was unfamiliar with this breed, a blend of whippet, sheltie and borzoi, as recently as 2 years ago, but now they are on my radar, and are a breed I recommend for families with kids. In this episode, Marie and I talk about the origin of the breed, what their b...

Today's episode is dedicated to the members of The Pooch Parenting Society . Every week, they get the opportunity to ask me questions about parenting kids and dogs, or raising dogs in general. This question was so important that I thought I'd answer it by turning it into a podcast episode. She wanted to know what I would do differently when raising my next puppy. As a dog trainer, how to...

While working with families who have kids and dogs, I have noticed that couples commonly experience strain, stress, and pressure on their relationship or marriage. Partners often disagree on the best strategy to raise their kids and their dogs, which can lead to resentment and lots of arguments.  But by bringing in a compassionate dog trainer who is not on "anyone's side", couples c...

People often ask me how they should respond when people send them photos of their "cute" dogs and babies having unsafe interactions together. Or maybe they see a dangerous interaction on social media and aren't sure if they should say something. Many people resent unsolicited advice and become defensive (or block you for trying to help them).  In this episode, we discuss the pros an...

In today's episode, I talk with Connor Kingfisher and Marie Silverberg, founders of the Superpup Academy, an online puppy training program. We discuss loads of topics that relate to raising puppies, choosing the right puppy, and keeping parenting real so that families are successful together. Not only do we talk about dog and child safety, but we also discuss how a dog's "tolerance&...

In today's episode with Loyla Louvis, we talk about how parents can experience small wins so that they don't lose hope when things are hard. There are SO many aspects of parenting kids and dogs that are the same. Both benefit from predictability, which reduced stress for the whole family. Michelle of Pooch Parenting is now retired. Thank you for the support over the past decade. Many of...

Clients call me to help them feel more confident as they parent their kids and dogs. Parenting is the hardest thing most of us have done, and when you throw a puppy into the mix, it can feel even more chaotic than you could have imagined. When safety is a concern, parents feel an urgent need to get support. And sometimes, I get called to solve a family debate. In today's episode, I share how...

I absolutely loved this interview with Sarah Sproule. She is an expert in helping parents to talk about sensitive topics, such as bodies, puberty and sex. Of course, this is not an episode about sex. But we DO talk about how dogs can be an excellent model to discuss consent with our kids. You will love it if you have ever struggled with discussing delicate topics with your kids. Find Sarah on Inst...

Toddlers have big feelings and act in BIG ways. Sometimes they get frustrated and yell at our dogs, which can be difficult for many dogs to handle, and difficult for us to process as parents. By using a combination of modeling appropriate behavior, redirecting and playing developmentally appropriate games with our kids, we can often change their behavior. If you have a question that you'd lik...

It can be overwhelming to parent kids and dogs at the same time. There are so many decisions to make that it can be easy to feel paralyzed and not take any action at all.  Unfortunately, when kids and dogs live together, you can't afford not to step in and try to help your dog to behave better.  The good news is that if you take baby steps, you will see more improvement than if you just wait...

There is nothing like the fear that comes when a dog growls at your newborn. But the good news is that with a little preparation and practice, there are some easy strategies that can help your dog to relax on the other side of a barrier.  Sometimes, as a parent, you just need to breathe a little easier. Management, training, and even outside support can make all of the difference in the world abou...

In this episode, I talk with Matt Beisner, the host of the television show Dog: Impossible on NatGeo Wild. Matt has two toddlers and lives with several dogs who displayed aggression in their younger days. We discuss whether or not kids can safely live in homes with dogs who have displayed aggressive behaviors in the past. In this episode… There are no bad dogs, only bad matches Flexibility is KEY...

In this episode, I talk with Meaghan Jackson, The Gentle Parenting Coach, about how to help children manage their feelings and learn about empathy. As parents with dogs, this is particularly helpful, because we all need strategies so we don't lose our cool (or our tempers). We can learn to explore the "why" of our feelings - in both our kids and our dogs, before we react and try to...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Alisa Baer, The Car Seat Lady. She is a board certified pediatrician and car safety specialist. We discuss not only how to keep families and dogs safe in a car accident, but how to keep children and dogs safe when riding in the car together - answering the very common question of where kids and dogs should sit when in the same vehicle. In this episode we discuss: w...

In this episode, I talk with Eileen Koval about different resource guarding scenarios in family dogs - and what to do about them. We discuss what resource guarding is, some of the underlying causes, and both training and management strategies to deal with it.  Michelle of Pooch Parenting is now retired. Thank you for the support over the past decade. Many of her resources are now available on YouT...

In this episode, I talk with Stevie Moss, a mom of two kids under the age of 3 and a professional dog trainer in the UK. We discuss how Stevie prepared her anxious dog for the arrival of each of her children and how she helped to ease her dog's transition when her first baby became mobile and turned into an unpredictable toddler.  If you are a dog mom and are planning on expanding your family...